Only Fools and Horses to open as a musical

The hit British TV comedy Only Fools and Horses is to be adapted into a musical.

The piece is to be written by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan, the son of Only Fools and Horses creator John Sullivan. Whitehouse is also due to star in the pieces as Grandad.

Casting for the show includes Tom Bennett as Del Boy and Ryan Hutton as Rodney. Only Fools and Horses runs at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 9 February with opening night on 19 February.

Whitehouse said: "This was the last project that John Sullivan was working on when he died – he was just starting to develop Only Fools as a musical – so when writing it, Jim and I have remained very faithful to the feel and scripts of the TV series, but also highlight some contemporary issues.

"We're very conscious of the Only Fools legacy and that it's so fondly remembered by people of almost all ages, so we've tried to incorporate everyone's favourite moments from the TV shows and of course, all the great characters – but this time it's with songs."

The music is written by Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan with additional music by John Sullivan and Chas Hodges. The show will be directed by Caroline Jay Ranger. Tickets are on sale from now.

The original TV show ran for 64 episodes and starred David Jason as Del Boy, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney, Lennard Pearce as Grandad and Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert. It holds the record for the biggest audience ever recorded for a single transmission of a TV programme in the UK.